Big Brother
by Princess Gillybean
Summary: It's James' last birthday before he leaves for Hogwarts, and Lily desperately wants to buy him something special, but as always, she has to deal with his love of being the older, bigger brother first. NextGen Written for RL Birthday challenge.


N/A: Dedicated to Cubie for having an awesome Birthday and for Betaing this.  
And To Charli because she is awesome and Vain and posted this for me.  
I hope you likke.

It was a nice a medium sized room, with light blue walls and wide windows

On the left side of the room there was a single, though still quite large, bed in which a small girl lay, her red hair fanned over the pillow and her face scrunched up as though she was having a bad dream. It was a nice a medium sized room, with light blue walls and wide windows. Under the window was a chest, on which sat numerous, carefully arranged dolls in frivolous dresses of various colours and several stuffed animals. Propped against it was Jessica, her broom. Daddy wouldn't let any of them have a real broom until they were nine, something that caused a lot of complaint in the Potter household, though now Lily was the only one without one. For the most part she was content with the Two-Eighty Training-Broom, essentially a regular broom but designed to go much slower and much easier to control, but the fact both her brothers had a real broom annoyed her on occasion.

Lily's eyes flew open, as she sat bolt up right, gazing around her room anxiously, but there was no sign of what had haunted her dreams. She wasn't aware she had screamed until James came in, rubbing sleep from his eyes.

"You ok Lils?" she explained tearfully as her brothers clambered onto her bed, James wrapping his arms tightly around her and Albus picking up the battered stuffed bear that had fallen to the ground. "Here's Jenny, now budge over." She wiggled backwards as he squished in beside her and James.

"Try and get some sleep." James mumbled. Lily looked up at the clock that hung on the wall opposite. It had little fairies dancing on each hand.

"What's the time?" She asked. "Too early" was the muffled reply. She shifted so she could see his face; his eyes were shut tightly. She turned to Albus.

"Merlin Lily, keep still!" Albus muttered, heaving himself back into the bed.

"I just want to know what time it is." When she got no reply, she settled for gazing around her room and imagining conversations with the occupants of each of her posters. Several were of unicorns, one of this year's National Quidditch team and finally Lily's favourite; a faded poster of the Holyhead Harpies from around 12 years ago. Although the unicorns held very interesting conversations, Lily preferred looking up at the face of her mother, who grinned down at her. Feeling safe and warm she snuggled deep into the covers and closed her eyes.

There was a knock on the door.

"Lily, its time to get up." Her mum stuck her head round the door. "So that's where those two got to," she said looking amused. Lily beamed up at her from amidst a tangle of blankets, arms and legs. "Boys it's time to get up." Albus groaned and pulled Lily's pillow over his head, James buried his head under his arms murmuring, "Just one more minute mum."

"If you two don't get up now you can make your own breakfast, I've made bacon and…" Before the threatening had finished, Lily, along with all her bedding was dragged to the floor in her brother's hasty attempt to get downstairs. Their mother laughed and helped Lily untangle herself, "Come on love or those monsters will have eaten everything."

Downstairs they found James and Albus stuffing their faces with all the food in sight. "Morning Daddy," Lily said and her father's head appeared from behind The Quibbler, "Morning Princess," he replied as she climbed onto his lap to kiss his cheek. "So James, it's your birthday soon." Lily rolled her eyes, as if James needed reminding.

James grinned. "Last birthday at home! It has to be the bestest ever!"

"Better than last year?" Ginny asked with a smile, causing Al to blush. James gave a loud cough that sounded suspiciously like 'Dumbledore'. Lily giggled, James' party last year had been so much fun but then again James birthdays were always fun.

_It was the largest party she had ever been to, presents piled in one corner and a fold-up table in the other, cowering under the wait of the enormous birthday cake Grandma Weasley had made to celebrate James turning 10. She wasn't sure how it happened but one minute she was sitting happily on Teddy's lap while he chatted with her father the next minute she was on the floor and Albus was flying through the air causing ever adult in the room to jump to their feet. In the door was James was doubled up laughing and when Al made an opportune landing in the cake, tears began to fall down his face. She still remembers the shocked look on her fathers face when Al stood up, covered from head to toe in white icing. Lily had started laughing then; he looked like he had a rather long beard and long white hair. Then he had scowled and pushed his glasses back up his nose and the stunned silence changed to laughter._

After finishing their breakfast, the Potter kids were sent upstairs to change. Lily slipped into her room and dragged a chair over to her wardrobe. She wasn't yet tall enough to reach the special green sundress she wanted to wear that day. It was a very special dress,

Auntie Fleur had bought her for her in Paris and she only ever wore it on special occasions. After pulling on a pair of neat white socks and several attempts to get her favourite blue sandals on the right feet she went over to her dresser and picked up her Pygmy Puff bank, full of little bronze Knuts and the occasional Sickle. She rattled it and smiled at the satisfactory jiggle the coins made. She had a very important decision to make. Today was the day her mother was taking her to Diagon Alley in search of James' birthday present and she had no idea what to get him. She'd been saving up especially, ever since Albus' birthday, and was determined to get him something wonderful. James really should've been an easy person to buy for, he loved anything to do with pranking, food or Quidditch, but Lily knew everyone else in their rather extensive family would be getting him something like that and she wanted her present to be very special this year.

Her mother walked in and seemed a little shocked to see Lily standing quietly, fully dressed, "Excited for our shopping trip?" She asked.

Lily smiled. "I'm thinking what to get."

"Well just let me check on the boys and I'll come do your hair." Lily nodded and went over to the mirror as her mother retreated. Loud yells could soon be heard coming from down the hall.

Lily bit her lip, when he got her present she wanted James to look at her with the awe and gratitude he had when his parents had given him his first real broom, two years ago. She knew she could never beat that present. It had certainly been the best he'd ever gotten.

_She still remembered the exhilarating feeling when he pulled her up in front of him, they'd only flown around the garden once and she suspected he'd gone quite slow just for her but it had been the most amazing feeling. Later he'd almost been grounded for putting her in so much danger but Uncle Ron had laughed at Aunt Ginny and said she was just like Grandma Weasley so he'd been forgiven._

This year they'd made James swear he wouldn't take it to Hogwarts with him. Not that anyone had believed him when he promised. The morning's joy disappeared as Lily remembered the consequences of James turning eleven.

Her mother returned muttering,"_Boys,_" as she began to slowly drag the brush through Lily's tangle of hair.

"Of course you're normally just as bad_,_" she laughed, squeezing Lily's shoulder. For the first few minutes, Lily winced with every stroke. Her mother smiled reassuringly at her as their eyes met in the mirror. Lily was said to look just like Ginny had when she was seven, they shared Grandma Weasley's fiery red hair and warm brown eyes and Lily was small for her age, just like her mother had been. She relaxed as most of the knots were tugged free and her mind returned to the matter at hand. James was turning eleven. She scowled at the thought. Eleven meant Hogwarts soon and Hogwarts meant James leaving. In fact he was rather fond of pointing out this year would be the last birthday he would spend at home for seven years. Unwanted tears filled her eyes, even with all their teasing, pranking and hair-pulling Lily loved her brother very much and loved spending time with him.

"Did I pull too hard?" Lily shook her head forcefully and then yelped as the brush snagged in her hair. After expertly untangling the brush her mother knelt down next to Lily and wrapped her arms around her, "Honey what's wrong?"

"I don't want James to go!" Lily wailed and clung tightly to her mother's neck.

"Oh honey, I know how you feel. I have a lot of older brothers, as you know, and I watched every one of them go off to Hogwarts without me. Right now, be glad Albus will still be here. Before you know it the three of you will be all there together and your Daddy and I will be all alone."

"I won't leave you. Don't worry Mummy," Lily said, flinging her arms around her mother's neck.

"It's something every mother goes through Lily, but lets just be glad you're going to be around for quite a bit longer."

Suitably mollified Lily tried to remember what other gifts James has liked in the past. She was really too young to remember much. To her James' 8th birthday was a blur of crepe paper and balloons with monster faces drawn in black marker that jumped out from doorways to scare her then hugged her when she cried. But one thing she did remember was when, that night, the nightmare returned and with it came her brothers, as always, there to protect her. She wanted a present to show him how much she loved him, even if it wasn't the best present ever and she told her mother so.

"Whatever you get James he is going to love, because it's from you."

--

James watched Lily and their mother from the doorway, and showed maturity rare for him by actually debating whether to interrupt. He smiled sadly, as excited as he was about Hogwarts he knew he would miss his family. Lily really didn't have to worry, he had only been four at the time but he still had fragments of the memory of when he had received the best birthday present.

_His mother's voice, "James, Al this is you're baby sister. Her name's Lily"_

_His father's strong arms, "up you go mate, now you can hold her if you want."_

_Big brown eyes staring up at him and Lily's tiny hand clutching at his fingers._

He walked into the room, "Getting my presents today?" He asked tugging on Lily's newly braided hair affectionately.

"DON'T JAMES!"


End file.
